Herman's Hermits Henry the 8th 1911 Edison phonograph recording by Harry Champion

And you thought Herman's Hermits wrote this! Well, it was actually a popular song in England from the time it was written in 1911. Some lyrics were added or changed by the time HH recorded it in 1965. This is the original two minute version, played on an Edison Standard Model A phonograph. This version lacks a couple of stanzas available on 78 RPM recordings, which are a minute longer. The title of the song was also HEN-E-RY the Eighth, not HENRY the eighth.

You don't know who you're looking at; now have a look me!
I'm a bit of a nob, I am--belong to royalty.
I'll tell you how it came about; I married Widow Burch,
And I was King of England when I toddled out of church.
Outside the people started shouting, "Hip hooray!"
I said, "Get down upon your knees it's Coronation Day!"

And--I'mmmm Henery the Eighth I am!
Henery the Eighth I am, I am!
I got married to the widow next door,
She's been married several times before.
Every one was a Henery;
She wouldn't have a Willie or a Sam.
I'm her eighth old man named Henery,
Henery the Eighth I am!

I left the "Duke of Cumberland", a pub up in the town,
Soon with a couple of moochers I was holding up the Crown.
I sat upon the bucket that the car men think their own;
Surrounded by me subjects I was sitting on the throne.
Up came the Portman, he said, "You get off to bed!"
But I, "You say another word and off'll go your head!"

For I'm Henery the Eighth I am!
Henery the Eighth I am, I am!
I got married to the widow next door,
She's been married several times before.
Every one was a Henery;
She wouldn't have a Willie or a Sam.
I'm her eighth old man named Henery,
Henery the Eighth I am! Am! Am! Am!

I'mmmmm Henery the Eighth I am!
Henery the Eighth I am, I am!
I got married to the widow next door,
She's been married several times before.
Every one was a Henery;
She wouldn't have a Willie or a Sam.
I'm her eighth old man named Henery,
Henery the Eighth I am!

Category:

Comedy

Tags:

• Herman's
• Hermits
• Beatles
• Edison
• Victrola

[covergrl121]

What a beautiful gramophone. What is it's value?

[EdisonCollector]

@covergrl121 That horn is a really expensive one, so about $900 as it sits. I call it a "Quentin horn" since it is very close to the horn used on Quentin's phonograph in DARK SHADOWS back in 1969. It's not the precise horn model (I do have one of those as my most prized collectible) but it is of the same family of horns.

[lukecrowley571]

That doesn't sound like Harry Champion to me.

[EdisonCollector]

@lukecrowley571 It is him, though.

[MBM1117727]

Much better than the one-verse version by hermans. Long live the memory of the music hall! 

[kirtley2010]

that is running fast, its still good

[kirtley2010]

@EdisonCollector wow the horn costs more thn the phonograph

[LastTree]

Thank you for posting this bit of music history.

[chernobylFarms]

@MarylinDogon819 or put a simple free conversion program to a creative use, for free. It's your mah-nee!

[chernobylFarms]

God bless her and rest her soul, Elizabeth Taylor died today.

[MarylinDogon819]

Rip the audio from this tune at soundnabber doht cohm.